Automatic safety-valve.



E. B. WADDELL, JR. AUTOMATIG'SAFETY VALVE.

APPLIOATION FILED Rom-a, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 191i n lwuewto o EBJMQIOIBM Jr UNITED STATES PATENTEDWARD BRAYNT WADDELL, JR., OF WILLIAMSON, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-THIRD TO HAWTHORNE A. GOODLOE AND ONE-THIRD T0 MO NTEZUMA WHITE,BOTH OF WILLIAMSON, WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed November 4, 1913. Serial No. 799,223.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. WADDELL, Jr, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Williamson, in the county of Mingo,State of vVestVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticSafety-Valves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to valves and has special reference to a safetyvalve of the type wherein, when the pressure in a gas or other fluidpressure line drops below a certain amount the valve will automaticallyclose.

The principal object of the invention is to improve and simplify thegeneral con struction of devices of this character.

A second object of the invention is to pro vide a novel means whereby avalve will be automatically released from open position to drop intoclosed position when the pressure in the line drops below apredetermined point.

A third object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement whichwill permit of the reopening of the valve and locking the same in openedposition only when the pressure has again reached the proper point.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ingeneral of certain novel details of construction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and

Figure 1 is a section through a valve constructed in accordance withthis invention, the same being shown in its open position. Fig. 2 is asimilar view ofa slightly modified form of valve, the same being shownin its closed position. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the portions of alocking device used here-.

made as at 12 in Fig. 2 and the bonnet 13 be made separate therefrom andsecured to the valve body by means of the nut 14:. In either case theupper end ofthe bonnet is provided with a closingpluglo having a bleedopening 16 in the top thereof. This bleed opening terminates at itslower end in a suitable valve seat 17 for purposes hereinafter to bedescribed. The valve body in each instance is provided with a suitableseat 18 and within the body is a disk valve 19 of the ordinary type, thelatter being ground to properly fit the seat 18. This disk valve 19 isprovided with a stem 20 the upper end of which is pointed as indicatedat 21 and intermediate the length of this stem there is provided annulargrooves 22 for purposes hereinafter to be described.

Extending across the valve at the top of the body and at the bottom ofthe bonnet is a diaphragm 23 provided with a suitable opening 24. Thisdiaphragm is supported in each instance on a shoulder 25 beneath thediaphragm and in the form shown in Fig. 1 it is held on the shoulder bymeans of pins or plugs 25. In the form shown in Fig. 2 the bonnet 13 isprovided with a projecting flange 26 which forms the shouler resting onthe top of the diaphragm and thus holding it in position.

Depending from the diaphragm 23 is a tubular stem 27 at the lower endwhereof is provided a pair of outwardly extending arms 28 carrying attheir outer ends the ears 29. Between the diaphragm 23 and the arm 29the stem 27 is provided with oppositely disposed openings 80. In thediaphragm 23 is a slot 31 which is arranged diametrically of thediaphragm. Pivoted to the ears 29 are levers 32 which extend through theslot 31 and carry at their upper ends the rollers 33. Intermediate theirends theselevers are provided with locking pins 84 which pass throughthe opening 31 and are so arranged that when the valve stem 20 is movedup into the hollow stem 27 the locking pins 34 will engage in the groove22 and thus hold the valve disk 19 in a raised position 01f the seat 18.I

Slidably mounted in the bonnet of the valve is a piston 35 which carrieson its upper side a small valve 36 adapted to seat, when the piston israised, in the valve seat 17. Beneath the piston 35 there is provided awedge member 37 which is adapted, when the piston 35 drops, to enterbetween the rollers 33 and force the levers 32 apart so that the lockingpins 34 are released from the groove 22 and consequently the valve 19can drop.

Extending through the bottom of the valve bodyand in alinement with thevalve stem 20 is a plunger 38 which has on its lower end outside of thebody a head 39. Between this head 39 and the valve body is a spring 40which surrounds the plunger and normally holds the latter in a depressedposition. The valve body is provided with the usual connection 411 and42 for the inlet and outlet respectively of the fluid under pressure.

In the operation of the device when it is desired that fluid underpressure shall pass from the inlet to the outlet the plunger 38 isactuated by pressing upward upon the head 39 so that the valve 19 israised to the position shown in Fig. 1. At this time, if the pressure ofthe fluid be sufficient, the piston 35 will have been raised and thevalve 36 will have seated on the valve seat 17. It will be observed thatthe Weight of the piston 35 is so adjusted that it only rises when thepressure is suflicient for the desired purpose. Now, if the pressuredrops below the point, the weight of the piston 35 causes the latter todrop and the member 37 striking between the rollers 33 releases thevalve 19 in the manner hereinbefore described. This causes the shuttingon of communication-between the inlet 41 and outlet 12. If the pressurecontinues at this low point the piston 35 will remain in its lowestposition and consequently the locking pins 3 1 will be in their outwardposition. The action of the plunger 38 upon the valve 19 can only, underthese conditions, momentarily lift said valve and as soon as pressure onthe head 39 is released the valve 19 will again seat. It is thusimpossible to open the valve 19 permanently unless the pressure in thevalve body is sufficient to raise the plunger 35 and permit the pins 3&to engage in the groove 22. i

There has thus been provided a simple and eflicient device of the kinddescribed and of the character specified.

It will be obvious that many minor changes may be made in the form andcon struction of this invention without departing from the materialprinciples thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the inventionto the exact form herein shown and described, but it is wished toinclude all such as come properly within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. In combination with a valve body provided with a bonnet and a valveseat; a valve disk movable to and from said seat, a stem projecting fromsaid disk and provided with a notch, a diaphragm extending across thelower end of said bonnet and having openings therein, a tubular stemdepending from said diaphragm and receiving said valve stem, saidtubular stem having a lateral opening therein, a locking pin slidable insaid lateral opening and adapted to engage the notch, a piston slidablein said bonnet and means operable upon movement of the piston downwardto withdraw said locking pin.

2. In combination with a valve body provided with a bonnet and a valveseat; a valve disk movable to and from said seat, a stem projecting fromsaid disk and provided with a notch, a diaphragm extending across thelower end of said bonnet and having openings therein, a tubular stemdepending from said diaphragm and receiving said valve stem, saidtubular stem having a lateral opening therein, a locking pin slidable insaid lateral opening and adapted to engage the notch, a lever having oneend projecting through said diaphragm, a piston slidable in said bonnet,and means carried by the piston for engaging the lever to withdraw thepin from the notch when the piston falls.

3. In combination with a valve body provided with a bonnet and a valveseat; a valve disk movable to and from said seat. a stem projecting fromsaid disk and provided with a notch, a diaphragm extending across thelower end of said bonnet and having openings therein, a tubular stemdepending from said diaphragm and receiving said valve stem, saidtubular stem having a lateral opening therein, a locking pin slidable insaid lateral opening and adapted to engage the notch, a lever carryingsaid pin and having one end projecting through said diaphragm, a pistonslidable in said bonnet, and a wedge projecting from said piston andadapted to engage said lever and withdraw the pin from the notch whenthe piston falls.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

EDWARD BRAYN'l WAllllElih, JR. Witnesses V. E. SLEDGE,

O. K. SHINNOTT.

Copies of .this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

